(S)-1,1,1-Trifluoro-2-propanol is a compound important as an intermediate for various medicines and agrichemicals. Aside from methods using chemical catalysts, biological methods of reducing 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone to (S)-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol by having microbial enzymes act on 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone has hitherto been studied. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing (S)-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol with high enantiomeric excess of not smaller than 99% ee by enantioselective reduction of 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone with use of alcohol dehydrogenases, and Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing 93 to 99% ee of (S)-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol by reducing 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone with use of a commercially available dried bakers' yeast. Additionally, Patent Document 3 discloses a method for production of (S)-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol, which comprises the step of reacting 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone with a microorganism capable of functionally developing an enzyme such as an alcohol dehydrogenase, a carbonyl reductase and the like, or a transformant, or a treated product of these.
Meanwhile, in Non-Patent Document 1, there is disclosed that (S)-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol can be produced with about 80% ee optical purity by reducing 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone with use of a dried bakers' yeast. Additionally, Non-Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing (S)-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol by reducing 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone with use of an alcohol dehydrogenase.